This is the page for the [https://www.diglib.org/groups/transparency-accountability/ DLF Working Group on Government Records Transparency and Accountability].

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This is the page for the [https://www.diglib.org/groups/transparency-accountability/ '''DLF Working Group on Government Records Transparency and Accountability''']. Read our '''announcement [https://www.diglib.org/new-dlf-interest-group-government-records-transparency-and-accountability/ blog post]'''.

The DLF interest group on Government Records Transparency and Accountability seeks to support a broader culture of records transparency in the digital age. Using a range of methods, we work to provoke wide-ranging consideration of, and action related to, the creation, accessibility, and preservation of materials created by local, state, and federal governments - including records, publications, information, data, and documents. In doing this work, we act on our belief that the free flow of government information is fundamental to a democratic society and that, as such, we want to work to ensure that information created by our governments is capably preserved and freely accessible to the public.<ref>[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ntYoqo-jUflCTmsNatxTlK-7p1MvK06YMbF5VPTzzwc/edit]Draft Mission statement announced at meeting January 23rd, 2018, accepted without changes, and posted March 2nd, 2018</ref> The group's work is aligned with the broader mission of the '''[https://www.diglib.org/about/ Digital Library Federation]''', and abides by its '''[https://www.diglib.org/about/code-of-conduct/ Code of Conduct]'''.

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We also work very closely with the [https://endangereddataweek.org/ '''Endangered Data Week'''] project. (Mark your calendars! The next Endangered Data Week is scheduled for February 25 through March 1, 2019.)

=== How to Join ===

=== How to Join ===

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We invite you join this Interest Group! You don’t have to be a DLF member to participate.

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We invite you to join this Interest Group! You don’t have to be a DLF member to participate. Simply request membership in our [https://groups.google.com/forum/#%21forum/dlf-records-transparency '''Google Group'''] to stay current on discussions and meeting dates. Meeting dates and minutes will also be posted to this page.

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==Upcoming events!==

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=== Endangered Data Week Webinar ===

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Simply request membership in our [https://groups.google.com/forum/#%21forum/dlf-records-transparency Google Group] to stay current on discussions and meeting dates. Meeting dates and minutes will also be posted to this page.

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'''<span style="color:#DD0000">Friday, March 1, 2pm-4pm (EST)</span>''' - Presentations by '''[http://xpmethod.plaintext.in/torn-apart/volume/2/index Torn Apart/Separados]''', the author of '''[https://kula.uvic.ca/articles/10.5334/kula.34/ The Paradox of Police Data]''' and the author of '''[https://kula.uvic.ca/articles/10.5334/kula.28/ Documenting State Violence: (Symbolic) Annihilation & Archives of Survival]'''

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==Upcoming events!==

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=== Upcoming Calls ===

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For the past two years, this group has supported and helped to organize [http://endangereddataweek.org '''Endangered Data Week,'''] a distributed event is designed to bring “awareness to different types of threats to publicly available data, engage with the power dynamics involved in data creation, sharing, and retention, and make endangered data more secure and accessible.”

===Other upcoming events of possible interest to members of this group===

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*June 2019. '''[http://www.ala.org/rt/godort Government Documents Roundtable [GODORT<nowiki>]</nowiki>]''' will be hosting a panel on The Census at the American Library Association Conference. Details to come.

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Discussion questions:

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==Endangered Data Week==

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Q1. Introductions! Tell everyone a little something about who & where you are. What motivates your interest in #EndangeredData?

Q2. Have you taken part in activities to preserve data or raise awareness of data stewardship? Doing anything for #EndangeredData Week?

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Endangered Data Week is a multi-organizational effort and is the Government Records Accountability and Transparency group's signature event, held annually in late winter-early spring since 2017. The next Endangered Data week is '''February 25-March 1, 2019'''. Learn more about the upcoming Endangered Data Week by visiting [https://endangereddataweek.org/ '''endangereddataweek.org''']

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Q3. How do you personally (or how does your community or organization) use or think about publicly collected/available data? #EndangeredData

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Q4. Do you know of datasets that could be collected and made publicly available, but aren't? How could they impact you/your community/your organization? #EndangeredData

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Q5. Are datasets that matter to you or the communities you serve under any kinds of threat? Which datasets? What makes them #EndangeredData?

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Q6. What’s the biggest thing missing from local or national/global #EndangeredData teaching, awareness, or skills training, from your point of view?

*Friday March 20, 2018, 1pm EST. At this meeting will be split into 2 parts: During the first 1/2 hour, Amy West will give us a presentation entitled "The GOP and the 2020 Census: Why count the population you have when you can make the population you want?" In the second 1/2 hour, we will continue our discussions of group logistics and plan for the next season of project work.

The Government Records Transparency and Accountability interest group has, on several occasions, hosted virtual educational presentations on topics related to government records transparency. These topical webinars, often featuring presentations by special guest speakers, are viewable [[Transparency-Accountability/Webinars | '''here''']]. Past topics have included: the importance of Federal records transparency in immigrant justice work, the Federal Census, Title 44, and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). If you have an idea for a future webinar or presentation, please get in touch!

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*Our April meeting (date TBD) will feature a presentation by Victoria Lopez (Staff Attorney, ACLU) and others on the current state of federal records transparency in the context of immigrant justice work.

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=== Meeting Minutes ===

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Records relating to meetings dating back to 2017 are available from the '''[[Transparency-Accountability/Minutes]]''' page.

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=== Special Meetings ===

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===DLF Forum Convenings===

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'''21 April 2017'''

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Records relating to activities at DLF Forums dating back to 2017 are available from the

This meeting featured a presentation by Amy West on "Census 2020 Data Accuracy." A recording of her presentation is available [https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwxlkWAQgeNTMC1BNWtSWFpNN0k here], and presentation slides are [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1VJ6qFqDxO0UwJA6KyikA3K6YgB7WkiEDBy0pfgQaoHw/edit#slide=id.p here]

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===Open Letters===

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* In November 2018, members of the Advocacy Committee sent a [https://www.diglib.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2018/11/DLF-GRTA-NARA.pdf letter] to the National Archives with thoughts about how to improve the level of transparency of the processes surrounding records retention change requests. (See also the [https://www.diglib.org/dlf-group-looks-at-us-dept-of-interior-records-disposition-request/ blog post] about this letter, and the process that led up to it.)

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'''18 August 2017''' ([https://www.diglib.org/title-44-and-the-uncertain-future-of-free-public-access-to-government-info-in-the-us/ Title 44 and the Uncertain Future of Free Public Access to Government Info in the US]) with James Jacobs ([http://dlf.wordpress.clir.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/09/DLF_Transparency_Accountability_Title_44.mp3 audio recording here]).

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* In July 2018, we signed onto a public letter, initiated by the group [https://www.openthegovernment.org/ '''Open the Government'''], that urged the US Congress to immediately investigate the administration’s records management practices relating to the “zero-tolerance” immigration enforcement policy and family reunification efforts. View the letter [https://www.openthegovernment.org/sites/default/files/Letter_Investigate%20records%20destruction.pdf '''here'''.] Open the Government's press release on the topic can be found [https://www.openthegovernment.org/node/5701 '''here'''].

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=== Regular Meeting Minutes ===

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* In September 2017, we co-signed the DLF's [https://www.diglib.org/dlf-on-privacy-preservation-free-access-to-government-info-via-title-44/ '''letter'''] to the Depository Library Council, Joint Committee on Printing, and Committee on House Administration, urging careful action in revising Title 44 of the US Code.

As we begin to plan for the coming year, we think it would be useful to begin to develop stronger connections between members of this interest group. That is to say, we want to support efforts to get to know each other and outline shared values and directions despite our geographic distance.

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To this end, a team of facilitators (Rachel Mattson, Brandon Locke, and Purdom Lindblad) propose that we spend some time in the coming months engaging in a series of one-one one conversations among participants in this group. We are hoping that these conversations will create a strong foundation for our group to expand and develop. We imagine these conversations as a way of beginning to approach three initial goals (and to identify additional goals):

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=== 2017 Conversations Project ===

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In the Fall of 2017, a team of facilitators (Rachel Mattson, Brandon Locke, and Purdom Lindblad) proposed that members spend some time engaging in a series of one-one one conversations. These conversations were designed to begin to build a stronger foundation upon which our group could expand and develop, and had three principle initial goals:

* To build a shared vocabulary.

* To build a shared vocabulary.

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* To create an action plan for the group’s future work.

* To create an action plan for the group’s future work.

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We want to underscore that this is the first stage; we imagine these conversations as iterative and open to group recommendations.

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We imagined these conversations as iterative and open to group recommendations. Participants were invited to follow the steps outlined below.

To begin, we invite you to complete a survey about what motivates you to participate in this group, what issues are of greatest concern to you, what practices you wish to share or to develop, and so on. We ask you to complete the form by the first week in September. Your responses will be sent to the group’s facilitators and also emailed back to you in order to help prompt reflection in paired conversations.

After individual surveys are completed, participating members will be matched to another person in the group. Once you have the name of your partner, you should reach out to them via email to set time and platform for shared discussion. We will provide prompts to get you started, but feel free to expand on those prompts. You may use whatever platform you prefer - e.g. email, Skype, or telephone.

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To begin, we invited participants to complete a survey about what motivates them to participate in this group, what issues are of greatest concern to them, what practices they wish to share or to develop, and so on. Responses were sent to the group’s facilitators and also emailed back to the contributor in order to help prompt reflection in paired conversations.

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'''For your conversation:'''

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'''Meet with partners (sometime before October 5, 2017).'''

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* Be sure to keep notes so that you can share back with large group later.

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After individual surveys were completed, participating members were matched to another person in the group. Once they had the name of their partner, they reached out via email to set time and platform for shared discussion. Partners were provided with prompts to get the converation started, but were encouraged to expand on those prompts and to use whatever platform they preferred - e.g. email, Skype, or telephone.

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* Reserve a minimum of 30 minutes for this conversation. But feel free to decide together to extend that time. Be sure to clearly indicate your time constraints to your partner to avoid confusion.

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Subsequently, participants will have the opportunity to share the results of their one-on-one conversations with the larger group. We will use these reflections to develop a shared set of principles and/or an action plan for the coming year.

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Subsequently, participants had the opportunity to share the results of their one-on-one conversations with the larger group. We created a brief synthesis of the results [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AMYmhZdFjU6L789TxwU5wIfehsDFJh5oLNpOCYZYOxA/edit '''here'''].

=== Other Possible Directions ===

=== Other Possible Directions ===

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The work of this group is still in development, and we invite you to join us as we consider strategies for moving forward together. Some possible directions in which our endeavors might go:

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The work of this group is still, always, in development, and we invite you to join us as we consider strategies for moving forward together. Some possible directions in which our endeavors might go:

* Learn, listen, gather info, ask questions. Reach out to organizations already doing smart work in the area of government sunshine, FOIA, public records transparency, and government accountability, and learn all that we can about their work. Where are these groups putting their efforts? What are the central concerns, questions, and debates they consider to be important? Which groups do we want to make connections to? Also: what are librarians and archivists already doing in this area? How might we extend and contribute to this work?

* Learn, listen, gather info, ask questions. Reach out to organizations already doing smart work in the area of government sunshine, FOIA, public records transparency, and government accountability, and learn all that we can about their work. Where are these groups putting their efforts? What are the central concerns, questions, and debates they consider to be important? Which groups do we want to make connections to? Also: what are librarians and archivists already doing in this area? How might we extend and contribute to this work?

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* Consider, discuss, and work toward understanding how we might use our expertise and situated-ness to support increased public records transparency and accountability at the local, state, and federal levels.

* Consider, discuss, and work toward understanding how we might use our expertise and situated-ness to support increased public records transparency and accountability at the local, state, and federal levels.

* Share what we learn with the broader DLF and library/archives community (and beyond?).

* Share what we learn with the broader DLF and library/archives community (and beyond?).

DLF Government Records Transparency and Accountability Group

What is this?

Mission

The DLF interest group on Government Records Transparency and Accountability seeks to support a broader culture of records transparency in the digital age. Using a range of methods, we work to provoke wide-ranging consideration of, and action related to, the creation, accessibility, and preservation of materials created by local, state, and federal governments - including records, publications, information, data, and documents. In doing this work, we act on our belief that the free flow of government information is fundamental to a democratic society and that, as such, we want to work to ensure that information created by our governments is capably preserved and freely accessible to the public.[1] The group's work is aligned with the broader mission of the Digital Library Federation, and abides by its Code of Conduct.

We also work very closely with the Endangered Data Week project. (Mark your calendars! The next Endangered Data Week is scheduled for February 25 through March 1, 2019.)

How to Join

We invite you to join this Interest Group! You don’t have to be a DLF member to participate. Simply request membership in our Google Group to stay current on discussions and meeting dates. Meeting dates and minutes will also be posted to this page.

Other upcoming events of possible interest to members of this group

Endangered Data Week

Endangered Data Week is a multi-organizational effort and is the Government Records Accountability and Transparency group's signature event, held annually in late winter-early spring since 2017. The next Endangered Data week is February 25-March 1, 2019. Learn more about the upcoming Endangered Data Week by visiting endangereddataweek.org

Past Meetings and Events

Webinars

List of past webinars.
The Government Records Transparency and Accountability interest group has, on several occasions, hosted virtual educational presentations on topics related to government records transparency. These topical webinars, often featuring presentations by special guest speakers, are viewable here. Past topics have included: the importance of Federal records transparency in immigrant justice work, the Federal Census, Title 44, and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). If you have an idea for a future webinar or presentation, please get in touch!

DLF Forum Convenings

Advocacy

Open Letters

In November 2018, members of the Advocacy Committee sent a letter to the National Archives with thoughts about how to improve the level of transparency of the processes surrounding records retention change requests. (See also the blog post about this letter, and the process that led up to it.)

In July 2018, we signed onto a public letter, initiated by the group Open the Government, that urged the US Congress to immediately investigate the administration’s records management practices relating to the “zero-tolerance” immigration enforcement policy and family reunification efforts. View the letter here. Open the Government's press release on the topic can be found here.

In September 2017, we co-signed the DLF's letter to the Depository Library Council, Joint Committee on Printing, and Committee on House Administration, urging careful action in revising Title 44 of the US Code.

Reflective Activities

2017 Conversations Project

In the Fall of 2017, a team of facilitators (Rachel Mattson, Brandon Locke, and Purdom Lindblad) proposed that members spend some time engaging in a series of one-one one conversations. These conversations were designed to begin to build a stronger foundation upon which our group could expand and develop, and had three principle initial goals:

To build a shared vocabulary.

To begin a process of developing stronger connections between members of this interest group - and supporting more intra-group conversation and collaboration.

To create an action plan for the group’s future work.

We imagined these conversations as iterative and open to group recommendations. Participants were invited to follow the steps outlined below.

Complete survey form (before September 5, 2017).
To begin, we invited participants to complete a survey about what motivates them to participate in this group, what issues are of greatest concern to them, what practices they wish to share or to develop, and so on. Responses were sent to the group’s facilitators and also emailed back to the contributor in order to help prompt reflection in paired conversations.

Meet with partners (sometime before October 5, 2017).
After individual surveys were completed, participating members were matched to another person in the group. Once they had the name of their partner, they reached out via email to set time and platform for shared discussion. Partners were provided with prompts to get the converation started, but were encouraged to expand on those prompts and to use whatever platform they preferred - e.g. email, Skype, or telephone.

Subsequently, participants had the opportunity to share the results of their one-on-one conversations with the larger group. We created a brief synthesis of the results here.

Other Possible Directions

The work of this group is still, always, in development, and we invite you to join us as we consider strategies for moving forward together. Some possible directions in which our endeavors might go:

Learn, listen, gather info, ask questions. Reach out to organizations already doing smart work in the area of government sunshine, FOIA, public records transparency, and government accountability, and learn all that we can about their work. Where are these groups putting their efforts? What are the central concerns, questions, and debates they consider to be important? Which groups do we want to make connections to? Also: what are librarians and archivists already doing in this area? How might we extend and contribute to this work?

Consider, discuss, and outline the ways in which this work, these questions, overlaps with our own areas of expertise and labors. How might we bring conversations about transparency and accountability into our schools, workplaces, and professional communities?

Consider, discuss, and work toward understanding how we might use our expertise and situated-ness to support increased public records transparency and accountability at the local, state, and federal levels.

Share what we learn with the broader DLF and library/archives community (and beyond?).

↑[1]Draft Mission statement announced at meeting January 23rd, 2018, accepted without changes, and posted March 2nd, 2018